REMINISCENCES OF THE WAR IN NEW ZEALAND.

Thames Advertiser, Volume VIII, Issue 2127, 21 August 1875, Page 3

REMINISCENCES OF THE WAR IN NEW ZEALAND.

OPOTIKI CAMPAMH CONTINUED. Pabt VI.

Eam.t tho following morning Major' Brassoy having arrived and assumod command of tho forces, thoy advanced to tho attack of tbo Pua pa in quartor dislanco column, with tho Nntiro Contingent as skirmishors, which tho eucrny perceiving (luckily for us) bolted, or tho column would havo suffered considerably; but as it was, tho thrco pas on tho spur fell into our hands without loss and without glory. On tho 17th of Ootobor tho Ngatirua bapu of tho Wliakntohons came into camp and surrendered themselves prisoners, dolivoriug up their arms to tho number of '20. Jhe remainder did not como in uutil tho uext day, making their appcarauco about 200 strong, and woro ordered to camp close to us in a part of tho old village, whero thoy reninmed pcacoful for months, but tho Ngatiira bapu did not givo in for two years. Oil tho same day a> Maori of tho Uriwcra iribo oamo into camp, and gavo information that Kcreopa was surrounded inland of Whakatano by tho friondly natives. This Korcopa assumed to bo n prophot, and was always surrounded by a body guard, which ho designated his Twolvo Apostles, 110 was tho chief instigator in Yolckner's murder, andiito of bis body. On receiving this news tho iudcfatigablo McDonnell, witbin two hours, was on tho march after him, and arrived at dusk at tbo Ohiwa Bay, and tho force," after wading up to their waists iu water for an hour, found ono solitary canoo capable of carrying eight men at a trip | and in thia small craft 180 men woro ferried' over, tho last mau arriving at 2 o'clock a.m. Tho forco immediately started, and at noon reached a pa in tho Wai« mana valley, when they obtained tho information that ltcrcopu and his wifo had been thero tlio day boforo, his toon being hidden in a gully. At 11 o'clock the forco moved on to a village soinotwo milos nearer tho ■ Gorgo, and remained thero until midnight, when having procured two guides, thoy started, it being pitch dark; so dark was it that tho rnon had to hold on to ouo another's coat-tails, and about 20 men followed their leader heod'ovcr-hcels into a deep water-courso, and with difficulty woro fished out, aftor much bad language, and continuod marching. They found themselvos at grey dawn on tho sknts of tho bush, and heard tho Hauhaus at their matutinal prayers in tho village of Koinga, whero Korcopa was supposed to bo. But McDonnell, knowing what a wary foo ho had to deal with, did not believe ho would sleep in a village, and ascertaining from his guides that thoro wore potato plantations two miles further on, ho left Captain Nowlaud with half tho forco in ambush to attack tho ■ villago, whilo ho marchod with tho other half to tho plantations, half-an-hour being allowed for him to get into position beforo Nowland surrounded tho villago. Things turned out bettor than such plans generally do, for as wo crossed tho river into tho scrub, sur- ' rounding tho plantations, wo hoard tho volley fired by JSowland'a men attacking tho village, and immediately after voices from tho clearing, when tho advanced guard, under Lieut. Gudgeon, caino suddenly on Kcreopa and his Twolvo Apos* ties, but being iu Indian filo in a narrow bush track, and only eight in number, they could not all deliver their fire, and only two wcro killed. Koreopa and tho remaining apostles bolting with great celerity, but wcro followed so closely that thoy throw away their guns. Thrco moro wero killed at tho river bauk boforo thoy reached tho scrub, aud wcro still olosoly pursued with every prospect of extermination, wliou at this critical moment tho main body, CO strong, arrived on tho river bed, immediately below tho lino of pursuit, and seeing tho waving of tho scrub and fern, aud hearing occasional shots, concluding it must bo tho Hauhaus, opened such a firo on friend nnd foe, that tho advanced guard woro forced to take cover. Ooluicl McDonncll, who immediately took in tho situation, alternately swore and entreated, all iu vain; he could not slop his men uutil tho enemy had cscaped. It is a strango but truo fact, that meu who will faco a hot firo from tho enemy will quail at onco under tho firo of their comrades. 'Mrs Kereopa had a very narrow escape } sho was engaged cooking that Maori delicacy, stinking corn, and in her nntivo garb was taken for a man, and fired at, but luokily for hor succeeded in reaching tbo bush. Ono remarkablo fino specimen of tho apostles was seon lying on tho cliff abovo tho river, terribly wounded, and supposing him to bo dead, McDonnell said "Throw him into tho river," and over ho went, sinking in 20 fcot of water, but to tho astonishment of all tho shock rovivod him, and ho rose and swam to shore, and as he could not speak, his jaw being shot away, ho wrote his namo in a pocketbook. This finished tho chace after Kcreopa, and tho forco roturned to Koinga, whoro wo found Nowland in possession, having killed foiir and taken several prisoners, amongst them a Maori, shot right through tbo chest. This man walked thrco' or four miles in a very jaunty, careless manner, evidently not much put out. On reaching the villago wo started from in tho morning, wo found our old doctor had shot a cow, and bad a good supply of it in tho family three-legged pot of tho village, and bb nono of tho force had eaten sinco leaving Opoliki two days previous, it was moro than acceptable. Early tho following morning wo started again for Opotiki, and. reached it at 4 p.m., about tho longest and nuickcst march tho forco ever accomplished. T.W.G. [To be continued)